Changing Winds
by Animegurl002
Summary: Sango begins to see Inuyasha in a different light after he saves her life. You know, I don't see too many InuyashaSango fics. I'm undecided if this will be one. Why don't you vote for what you want to see. Pairings I?
1. Default Chapter

A blood laced scream echoed throughout the entire forest. A young raven haired woman clutched, with trembling fingers, her bleeding abdomen. She searched desperately the faces of those who witnessed her final demise. Her head shot back for a final cry of pain and misery before she buckled in the pool that was her own blood, and finally, fell with dark eyes to the ground. Her best friend ran wildly for the fallen body, and gently cradled her head, all the while weeping words of apologizes into deaf ears. Tears fell like rain upon Sango's face, erasing the dirt in their path. Kagome rocked insanely, and stroked Sango's hair with a gentleness that only she possessed. 

"Sango, please... please open your eyes. Please wake up... please. I'm so sorry... please forgive me.", she cried desperately. The sleeping woman stirred in Kagome's arms. This gesture went didn't go unnoticed by the young miko and she clutched even more desperately to her friend, as if the life could slip from her arms. Sango moaned in pain and she stared up at her friend.

"...Kago... gome?", she whispered softly. Kagome's face lit up and she pressed her finger to her swollen, bloodied lips.

"Please don't talk... you're badly injured.", Kagome pleaded. Sango's response was only a weak nod and her head lolled to the side, taking in for the first time, the desperate battle taking place before her.

Inuyasha and Miroku were facing down the cat youkai that attacked her. Miroku forced open his wind tunnel to suck in the youkai, but it held it's ground firmly, and it didn't budge. Inuyasha grew impatient with the vain attempt and signaled with his arm for Miroku to stop. He complied, and Inuyasha rushed the cat head-on. It saw the attack and knocked the hanyou into the ground with a swipe of his massive paw. Sango sat up abruptly, and pain shot through her wounded body, forcing her back into Kagome's lap.

"NO! Inuyasha! Don't!", Sango screamed out her emotional cry. Kagome's head snapped to look at the young woman rested on her, trying to read her teary eyes. Compassion, sorrow, guilt, and finally one Kagome couldn't understand, flared across her features as she watched her friend laying unconscious on the ground. Kagome stood up and grabbed her bow and arrow, and took careful aim. In one delicate, fluid motion, she let an arrow fly, piercing the air with a powerful whistle. In the last moment, the cat youkai sidestepped, and the attack only grazed it's cheek. The youkai narrowed it's red eyes at the young priestess, and charged at her, shaking the earth with it's powerful steps. In an instant, time slowed down, and Kagome swore that her thundering heart beat could be heard throughout the forest. She froze in place and braced for the blow that could only mean her doom. In her last seconds of life, she let her lover's name fall in a whisper from her lips. Inuyasha.

That's when she heard it. A sickening tear of flesh and muscle, that could only be her own. She closed her eyes and waited for the pain to course through her body, crippling her with pain. It never came. She opened her eyes, only to see the earth beneath her, slowly slipping away from her sight. Kagome smirked and blinked back the tears in her eyes. 'At least death isn't painful.' She thought sadly. Kagome looked up only to see the face of the one that she held most dear. Inuyasha. She looked around for first time and noticed that she was in his arms, and they were falling back to earth. They landed silently, with only the grace a demon could muster and he put her back on the ground. Kagome looked around for the demon, and was greeted by the sight of a heap of furry flesh that laid dead in the space she was previously stuck in. Sango's bloodied boomerang was through it's back, claiming the creature's life, and victory for the small group. Kagome looked around for her friend and found her in the arms of Miroku who was trying to stop the blood from flowing from her body. It was a pointless battle, and Sango's blood pooled from her abdomen, soaking Miroku's robes. He looked up sadly at the duo and shook his head slowly.

"She won't make it. She's losing so much blood, and I can't stop it from flowing. She will die soon.", he choked out, and turned his head in an attempt to hold back his tears.

Kagome knees went weak at the word, 'die', and she collapsed to her ground. Her shoulders heaved, and her lips trembled as the tears rained from her gray-blue eyes. She wrapped her pale arms around herself, through her head back and screamed. She shuttered a cry and screamed another blood laced cry to the heavens. Inuyasha shook his head at the grim situation.

"BULL!", he yelled. "There is no way in seven hells, Sango is going to die. She is much too strong for that. NO! She won't die here not now! We won't give up on her, she never gave up on any of us, and she never let us down. Hell no! We are not going to sit here and cry when she's not even dead yet! What we're gonna do is take her to Keade's to heal do you hear me?!"

His words went unheard as Kagome and Miroku sat and continued whispering words of prayer and grief to Sango's limp body. Inuyasha growled loudly and snatched Kagome up by her collar, bringing her to eye's height. She screamed loudly in his face, but Inuyasha spoke anyway.

"I can't believe you! Sango is lying there because she wanted to protect _you_, and you can't even pull yourself together to help her! You were supposed to be lying there not her! That cat demon was aiming at _you_ when it attacked! Not her! She pushed you out of the way! Hell, even when you froze up, she overcame her injury to throw her boomerang and save your life. You can see where that landed her! Kagome this is so pathetic, and I don't know about you, but I'm gonna do something! Some friend you are!"

Inuyasha dropped her on the ground with a dull thud, and marched over to pick up Sango. He was bracing to leave until he heard Kagome's faint voice.

"Inuyasha?"

"What?"

"Me and Miroku will ride Kirara and we will be beside you the whole way."

Inuyasha nodded, "Let's go then!"

*****************************************************

First chapter. Oh yeah I don't own nothing and I'm not making a profit off this story. Blah blah blah. Please review hope you like it blah blah blah. But most importantly... I DEMAND 15 REVIEWS BEFORE I CONTINUE!!! I never get reviews and I want to know what it feels like. (Mmmmm Reviews) So, hope you like it blah blah blah and uh... Love Peace and Soul. 


	2. Chapter 2

Yay! I got some reviews! It doesn't even matter that I didn't get 15, I got _SOME_ and that good enough for now. I am so easy to please it's pathetic! Well the 2nd chapter is up anyway so, enjoy. Oh yeah I forgot. I don't own Inuyasha, but I am getting paid. IN REVIEWS! (mmmmm reviews)

Minutes seemed to slip into hours, and hours into eternity as the small group of four ran swiftly through the dense forest. Silence hung heavily in the air, as all minds raced back to events of just the past hour. Sango was unconscious, and desperately fighting a losing battle for her life. The stain of blood on her abdomen spread to eventually engulf her clothing. Her breathing was labored, and she gasped painfully with every breath. Even more alarming than her breathing were her constant fits of coughing. Every time she coughed, a small lake of crimson pooled from her swollen, bloodied lips. 

Kagome and Miroku rode on Kirara in complete silence, weighing the events of just the few past hours. Miroku more than anyone was devastated at the thought of losing a woman he truly loved. He thought back to every perverted act he had ever performed and concluded it as a self defense of his heart. If Sango were to ever reject him, he felt that he'd probably rot from the inside and die completely to the world. In many ways he was like the enigma in red in front of him. Both were afraid to embrace the women they loved, and both tied between two lovers; one of the past, and one of the present. Miroku sighed softly and turned his mind back the one who needed him most. Sango.

Kagome rested her head on Kirara's back. So many things were racing through her mind, it gave her a headache. She was of course grieving for her best friend, who lied almost lifeless in the arms of Inuyasha, but also, she thought back to the battle. She almost never disrupted Inuyasha's battles, no matter how grim the situation was, he didn't allow it. This time however, she rushed in head first and almost got herself killed. It just didn't make sense. Maybe it was a strong need for vengeance that compelled her to attack.

*flashback*

Inuyasha rushed the cat demon head-on. It saw the attack and knocked the hanyou into the ground with a swipe of his massive paw. Sango sat up abruptly, and pain shot through her wounded body, forcing her back into Kagome's lap.

"NO! Inuyasha! Don't!", Sango screamed out the passionate cry. Kagome's head snapped to look at the young woman resting on her, trying to read her teary eyes. Compassion, sorrow, guilt, and finally one Kagome couldn't understand, flared across her features.

Kagome shook her head to clear the memory and brushed a few loose strands of silken, raven hair behind her ears. That had to of been it. Watching Sango so desperate for revenge made her go out and seek it just like a sister would. Yes, that was the perfect word to describe them, sisters. Sango had always been there for her, and she even risked her own life to save the young miko. The thought alone started the tears to sting the back of her eyes. 

'She actually saved me when she couldn't even walk, and now she might even die. Why the hell am I so pathetic. If Sango dies it will be all my fault. My fault alone, because I couldn't protect us. What the hell the good of having powers if I can't even use them right. I don't even deserve to live. I'm such a fool.'

Kagome was yet again overcome with tears and the road in front of her became blurry and disoriented. 

Inuyasha ran as fast as he could, dodging the endless army of trees that obscured his path. He growled loudly in frustration. Time. Time was of the essence and would be the deciding factor as to whether the beauty in his arms lived or died. He hated leaving things up to chance. Hell, he hated almost all things that were beyond his control. Life, death, it was all a fluke anyway. Just a sick cruel game with no winners. You chase a dream your whole life only to fail and be put six feet under. He chuckled, and contented himself to listening to the faint heartbeat, thumping rhythmically in his arms.

The cries of the soft maiden behind him filled Miroku's ears. Although so different, her tears reminded him of Sango's when Kohaku turned against her. In any other situation, he would have had words of comfort gentle enough to lull a child to sleep, but now he had none. His heart was stripped and raw, and he could not think of a kind word to say to Kagome. He blamed her weakness for the incident. If she were stronger Sango wouldn't be where she was. He smirked. Sango was truly an angel of mercy and the light of her purity shone brilliantly through her toughened exterior. It was understood why she trusted so few, especially accounting for the things she'd witnessed. He nodded his head for assurance.

'When Sango heals, I'll ask her to be my wife. Then I'll protect her and make sure she's never hurt again.'

Kirara stopped abruptly leaving her passengers in bewilderment. Miroku and Kagome exchanged confused glances and turned to the hanyou who stood densely in the middle of the road. Miroku jumped off Kirara and afterward helped Kagome down, and the twosome stalked over to Inuyasha.

"Why the hell did you stop huh? We have to get to Kaede's and save Sango!", Kagome yelled in Inuyasha's face.

He turned slowly to face the pair, allowing them to take in his solemn face. He spoke in a dry, hushed tone. 

"Her heart stopped. Sango is dead."

The words knocked Kagome down like a blow, and she fell on the forest floor. Tears flowed down her face and her body heaved in violent waves. She cried so hard that her stomach emptied, but she took no heed. Sango was dead and there was nothing she could do. 

************************************


	3. Chapter 3 kinda

OMG! You reviewers would not believe how good I'm feeling! I just had to take a break from homework and get this chapter out for you guys. I mean I actually think that reading these reviews before taking my Japanese test really helped my confidence. Thanks a lot and this is for you.

Inuyasha gazed his gentle eyes upon the woman in his arms. Her beautiful form lay still in cold death, and her face possessed the look of peace; the same peace that evaded the hanyou, even in his dreams. Although her features were scarred and bruised, they were still those of an ordinary woman. The type of woman who made the stars shine brighter at night; the type of woman who met each day with a smile, no matter how hard the rain. Inuyasha let a single tear slid down his face. It was ironic how life turns out sometimes. Here in his arms lied a beautiful maiden who lived each day of her short life in immeasurable pain. Her perfect brown eyes laid witness to the violent deaths of her entire family, including Kohaku. 

Inuyasha's ears pressed firmly against his head as Kagome's painful screams invaded his head and brought him back to attention. Her tiny fists pounded blow after blow into the forest floor, and her head was thrown back as she screamed curses towards the heavens. Inuyasha tried to make out what her words, but they were disoriented between sobs and sharp gasps of breath. His golden eyes scanned for the monk, but he was no where in sight. Inuyasha sighed. It would probably best to bury the body, the sight of her in death overwhelmed the priestess greatly, and it was only proper to dispose of the warrior respectfully. He glanced over once more to the distraught Kagome, and made his decision, she would be buried at sunset.

******************************** 

Cliffhanger!!!!

I'm sorry but it's my bed time. Blame my mommy not me. I'll be done tomorrow though so, sorry you guys but, Night night! 

Doomo 


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own Inuyasha and I'm not making a profit from writing this fic.

Warning: Sesshomaru is extremely out of character, but I needed him to be the way he is to advance my story plot. Enjoy it or hate it, whatever.

"Atama kata hizu ashi, hizu ashi! Atama kata hizu ashi, hizu ashi! Me to…"

"Shut the hell up! That's the hundredth time I've heard that child-song today! Sing something else, whatever, but not that again! I can't stand it anymore dammit!"

Jaken quickly cupped a hand over his mouth as he met the piercing gaze of his towering Lord. He ran over to the youkai and crumpled to his feet, bowing between each apology.

"I'm so sorry my Lord! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to yell at the child my Lord! I don't know what came over me! It was a good song, honestly! Atame kitu sashi huto, come on Rin let's sing it. Kutara ume fisu…"

Sesshomaru glared at the pathetic creature in front of him with his piercing golden eyes. It was more than an annoyance when his subordinate grew enough backbone to disrespect his human, and in front of him even. It was becoming more evident with each passing day, that Jaken no longer respected him as he once had. His apologizes were empty, the whispers behind his back grew louder, and arguing had become more frequent. Maybe it was when he lessened the beatings to avoid Rin the visual discomfort, or maybe it was just having her around that warmed his heart enough to take pity on the wretched toad. Whatever the reason, this small period of weakness would have to cease if he were to remain the feared Lord he was today. 

Sesshomaru reached down and grabbed Jaken by the throat, raising him to eye level, "You disrespected one of my possessions Jaken and you expect mercy? Mercy is for the weak." and with that he forcefully threw him to the ground, and reached for the whip at his side.

"No my Lord! Please! The child my Lord! Please for her sake! Please my Lord don't beat me! Please spare me!"

Jaken squirmed wildly as Sesshomaru raised the whip of dragon skin, high above his head. 

"Not even begging will save you. Now suffer!", and with that he brought the whip down to strike Jaken across his face, hard enough to cut blood from the open green flesh.

He forcefully brought down the whip again and again, marring the toad all over his small pale body. Sesshomaru raised the whip for a twelfth time when his demon senses picked up the smell of moist salt and a slight whimpering coming from over his shoulder. The sounds weren't coming from Jaken because from all his previous years of beatings, he learned never to make a sound during the painful tribulations. The youkai opened his hand enough to let the whip slide out of his hand and coil on the ground. He turned around slowly, Rin.

The small human child shivered violently as she rocked insanely in a fetal position. Her tiny hands clasped tightly over her ears, and endless tears flowed from her dull brown eyes. Sesshomaru sighed to himself. It was easy to forget the girl's terrible origin judging purely from her carefree smiles and sweet, bubbling laughter. Even as a demon it seemed cruel to beat a beautiful child like Rin into bloody submission. Suddenly he felt dirty and powerless for showing this girl what she worked so hard everyday to forget.

"Rin I…", but it was too late. The small girl ran as fast as she could into the dense forest. Tears flew from her eyes as she tried to escape the violent demon she once adored. She sped blindly into the unknown, pushing past branches and plants, in a most desperate state. 

'This can't happen again! I can't let anyone hurt me ever again! I must keep running, I must fade away! Just like last time! I have to disappear!'

For the first time in Sesshomaru's life he felt absolute shame. It would be all too simple to catch her and rightfully return to him what was his own, but that was too easy. Bringing Rin back with force would only demonstrate his power over her, thus making her only more afraid of him. In his entire life, nothing felt more right than protecting his little human child. He sighed again at the new task at hand.

'Rin, please forgive me.', and he was gone.

***************

The end of Chapter 4 I think! Yay! 

Look I already know that Sesshomaru is not really a meanie, he's merely misunderstood. See I know that, I even stated it myself, so please don't inform me of this in any reviews that I may receive. 

Doomo

P.S. The little song Rin sings in the beginning of fic is the Japanese version of _"Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes._" (which I also don't own) if I translated correctly.

Doomo Arigatou

P.P.S: I have no idea what Jaken is singing. I'm only in Japanese 1 so I just picked some sounds, stuck em' together and voila a crappy song.

Doomo Arigatou Gozaimasu


	5. Chapter 5

OMG! I know you reviewers must totally hate me, but it's not my fault, honest!! First I moved so I didn't have the internet, then I wrote two revisions of chapter 5 and couldn't decide which to use, and then... man those are bad excuses. Whatever, I'm gonna finish this story! So here's chapter 5, finally.

Inuyasha stabbed his shovel into the earth, taking up another mass of wet soil, and flinging it over his shoulder. It was pointless. There was no way he and Miroku could dig though the mud to make a decent grave plot. After the first time he dug his shovel into the ground, he knew no grave would be made this day, but still he worked for the sake of working. At least it kept his mind temporarily off the doubts and what-if's that haunted him in broad daylight. Inuyasha unconsciously looked over to Kagome, longing for her bright eyes and genuine all around beauty to comfort his desolate soul. There was no such luck. Her pale face was streaked with dried tears and smeared with blood from where she'd rubbed her cheek against Sango's. Her usual long, radiant hair hung sadly down her back in greasy strands. Even worse than her dirtied face, and pathetic hair were her hollow, darkened eyes. The customary bright spirited orbs of gray were replaced with a lifeless, black glass. She hadn't blinked back a tear, instead her eyes were gazed to an empty future that only she could see in her best friend's corpse.

Inuyasha turned away, unable to look at the woman who appeared so much like Kikyo on the day of her death. He brought his shovel back into the ground. Inuyasha worked in silence until he felt a strong presence burning into the back of his skull. He spun around and locked eyes with Miroku. He had never seen so much fire in the monk before, and in a way, it scared him.

"Why Inuyasha?", Miroku asked sternly.

"Why the hell is she dead? Why couldn't you save her? Everyone else we've come across you've help! Why not her? Why did you let her die, huh? Answer me! Why?"

Inuyasha stared in disbelief at the enraged man in front of him. Did he think he'd just let her die? That it was his fault, Sango was gone. Inuyasha quickly overcame his initial shock and replaced it with anger.

"You think I just let her die? She was my friend too monk! I loved her just as much as any of you did! I wish that I could give her my life right now, just to know she'd live! You think I wanted this? You think I let it happen? Well, where were you when she got killed, huh? Why weren't you there for her?"

Inuyasha was surprised at all the acidic remarks that flowed from his mouth. It wasn't something he'd thought out, the words just came. It was weird, like the feelings were there all the time and he'd just never said them. He would have loved to blame Miroku for being so weak and not backing Sango when she needed him. He said the words anyway, even if they weren't true.

Miroku glared cold death at the hanyou, "This is all your fault! She threw the hirakosu to stop that demon from killing you! You weren't worth it! I'd have let you die if I were her, but she was so damned selfless! Why did she save you, huh? Why? You're nothing but a..."

He was abruptly interrupted when a piercing scream filled his ears. It was Kagome. Her body rocked insanely, and her words trembled as she spoke to both men. She pointed a long trembling finger between the two, and enforced her aggression with fiery eyes.

"Don't do this!", she spat. "Don't disrespect Sango's day of death! She wouldn't have wanted this! She wouldn't have wanted you fighting, and you know it! You guys are so selfish and I hate you both! You're nothing but selfish children!", and with that she pushed her self off the ground and from under Sango's body and ran. The forest was a blur in front of her eyes, but she didn't care. She forced herself forward to a place she didn't know. A place where she could be away from the fighting, the pain, and the air of death that threatened to choke her. She didn't know where, but this place felt right, it felt almost good.

Kagome ran until she came to a slight clearing, centered around a small lake. 'Perfect' she thought. If she tried hard enough, she could forget the feelings of hopelessness and guilt, then things could start to feel normal again, like Sango was here. A bath was what she would have wanted when she was normal, so maybe it could help her now. Kagome sat at the lake's mouth, stripped her socks and shoes, and put her feet into the water. The cool water was a welcomed relief on her burning feet. Maybe a bath wasn't what she felt like now, but this was fine. She stayed like this for a few moments, allowing only a small bit of stress to leave her fatigued body. Kagome was considering wading in the shallow water, when she heard a twig snap behind her. Her entire body tensed by reflex, and she slowly reached over to grab her bow and arrow from the surface of a smooth stone. With an almost inhuman swiftness, she was on her feet with a poised bow pointed at the intruder. Rin.

And there's chapter 5 in a nut shell.

grins You know... it seems like a lot of you _think_ you know what's gonna happen, but we'll see.

Think you can figure me out do you? Well, you're in for a rude awakening cause I gotta trump card up my sleeve.

Ja ne


	6. Chapter 6

The small child was so unprepared for the glistening bow aiming at her heart that she stumbled back, her bottom making contact with the damp grass. Kagome immediately regretted her actions when she noticed Rin's large brown eyes filled with pure terror. The child picked herself off the ground and turned to run away until she realized the woman had dropped her bow and stood wordlessly studying her. The lady looked nice enough despite her tattered clothing and dirty face. That's when Rin realized it. This woman was poor and all alone, and from the blood on her arms, maybe she was injured too. She gave the lady a sympathetic look before grabbing her make shift pack and rummaging through it to find food for the peasant.

Kagome's face clouded over with confusion, and she made her way over to the small girl. 'What is she doing out here all alone?', she asked herself. When Rin's small hands immerged from the sack, there was some grain and a few coins which she offered to Kagome. Suddenly realization dawned on the older girl, "You are giving these to me?" The child nodded wordlessly and set the things down by the woman's feet. Kagome smiled and gathered up the coins and grain in her hands, "That was really very kind of you, but I can't take this from you."

Rin shook her head slightly and made no movement to take back her gifts. Kagome beamed and reached into a pocket of her skirt, producing a candy bar which she presented to the child. She kneed slightly and patted the girl on her head, "You remind me of a good friend. He loves those." The girl beamed proudly at the apparent compliment, and took a big bite of the wrapped chocolate. The raven haired priestess giggled and kneeled slightly so that she could pull the paper away, revealing the brown candy to the child. Her eyes widened and yet again she took a bite, this time smiling brightly as the new taste that filled her mouth. The woman laughed gently as she watched the child anxiously pull away all of the paper and cram the treat into her mouth.

"What is your name? I'm Kagome."

Rin looked up from the task of licking her fingers to acknowledge her new friend.

"My name is Rin." The teen nodded and ran her fingers through the girl's dark brown hair. She looked so sweet and innocent like an untainted angel. Her eyes were full of vibrancy and life that Kagome secretly longed to possess once more herself. She allowed her thoughts to wander a bit longer to days long past, until she felt a jerk pulling her to attention. She knew that feeling and it caused the hairs on the back of her neck to rise. There was a demon nearby, and it was especially strong, rivaling the power of Inuyasha himself. Fear overtook her but she allowed herself to remain calm so that she could think of a plan.

Kagome bent down to pick up her bow and arrow and poised it at Rin. She could feel the demon's slight confusion at her actions, 'Just as I thought, it was only spying and now I have him off guard!' With unbelievable speed and accuracy, Kagome swiveled on her heels and let an arrow fly at the dark aura she sensed. Without even waiting to see if her attack connected, she grabbed the child's hand and ran back as fast as she could to the camp. She was slightly afraid as all directions looked similar, but luckily, she left the shards in her backpack, and they served as a homing signal. Kagome's legs ran as fast as they would carry her, resulting in her almost dragging Rin most of the way. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of trees and brush, she could see the shards, shining brightly, and the faces of a surprised hanyou and houshi.

"What the hell!?", Inuyasha managed to blurt out as he noticed the two girls bursting wildly into their clearing.

"Inuyasha it's there!", Kagome screamed while indicating to the dark aura that followed them back.

The hanyou sniffed the air, and only then could he make out the almost transparent scent. Sesshoumaru.

****

Woo! I finally wrote another chapter! It's short, but it was necessary. I'm gonna start on the next one right away! I'm sorry that I yet again took so long, but I have been working on several other fics and this one got pushed back. Thanks for bearing with me, and I hope you enjoyed the lastest chapter.

Ja ne


End file.
